So far it looks like perfume on the pig. And as usual, loaded with bugs and not tested enough for a public release. So many folks want technology upgrades yet we clearly don't have the oversight capabilities to move us forward in this area. Very disappointing.
Well there was $300k allotted to the website to be done by professionals over the summer months. Of course members were not made aware of this. Then someone on the foundation board said the GM authorized out IT dudes to start the upgrade. It worked fine before that, but now links are broken, it's difficult to navigate and the $300k went to what? Supposedly there is a meeting scheduled soon for the outside company to sit down with our folks to go over the site. Sorry, but as usual nothing was thought out. Seems like everything that happens here is a huge waste of money. God forbid we ask SCW what they do to make it work. Recreation Centers | Sun City West Active Adult Retirement Golf Community Just tried to get on the tech committee and the link is broken. Ironic, huh?
The interesting thing about this blog is there have been the same folks posting since 2013. A few extra folks come and go. It's the same conversations over and over with no solution. The ASU Survey showed members wanted a cyber cafe. I found a post on this site from 2013 about people wanting a cyber cafe. It got talked about for a bit then went away. Now Jean wants to make this a political thread, which actually is fine with me. At least it gets away from the vicious cycle of same comments, same subjects, etc. Seems like the only person interesting in actually looking for solutions was the man who spoke at the last meeting who went to SCW to talk with their GM to find out what makes them successful. All we get here is "since 2006 we have let the GM have control. Maybe Bill is correct: "The real tragedy here is so many fail to even begin to grasp that concept of building a sense of community."
Again rumors. There has been NO official upgrades by the contractor to the RCSC website as of this date. The minor "updates" were done by in-house staff in an attempt to provide some calendar improvements and a couple of other features as a test. These were NOT done by the web designer/contractor. Nothing will be changed under the new contract until sometime during the first quarter as has been discussed on a previous forum. Further, it has been pretty widely discussed there are current technical issues for some reason and further exacerbated by the fact that Aaron ( the lead web person) is no longer employed as of sometime in the last week or so. So it's clear, there has been no waste of contractor money on some system that "was working and now it doesn't." The contractor is continuing to do their work, any changes and interim problems have not been caused by any interference by anyone outside of RCSC, so let's stop making any additional problems where they don't exist. Hope this helps. Oh - I received this information from a member directly involved with the Technology Committee, so I know it to be true. Thanks.
There is more to technology than just a web site. The Web site is important and is a small part of the technology picture. Were the members ever asked what they wanted to see on the web site and how it should function. They are the people who will be using it and their voices should have been heard. One big question I have on the web site is; Will it have the capability to conduct a poll on specific questions and be programmed so that individuals can only submit a response to the poll one time? Will the RCSC be holding training classes for the members on the use of the web site? Technology has long been and continues to be pushed to the bottom of the totem pole. A 500,000 dollar budget for technology is a pittance and will not allow us to get technology into the 21st century. Where are the security cameras? Is there a budget for them? We are willing to spend 14 million on a PAC (probably more like 28 million before complete), but we can't even find enough money to have microphones in front of everyone at meetings instead of passing the ones they have back and forth. Counting attendees at meetings is being done by a handheld tally counter instead of being done electronically. Technology will never be current or even close to being 21st century technology in Sun City. One of the outgoing board members had technology and data collection as part of their Meet the Board Candidates but never really came close to fulfilling that vision. Other wants and agendas got in the way. Anyway, technology has suffered drastically and will continue to suffer in Sun City. Just my opinion.
This is not the first time you have put words in my mouth Linda. So your hearsay is true? "Oh - I received this information from a member directly involved with the Technology Committee, so I know it to be true." Below is what I posted. Please re-read it. Well there was $300k allotted to the website to be done by professionals over the summer months. Of course members were not made aware of this. Then someone on the foundation board said the GM authorized out IT dudes to start the upgrade. It worked fine before that, but now links are broken, it's difficult to navigate and the $300k went to what? Supposedly there is a meeting scheduled soon for the outside company to sit down with our folks to go over the site. Sorry, but as usual nothing was thought out. Seems like everything that happens here is a huge waste of money. You are angry with me about my thoughts on the foundation so you attack publicly. Your colleague, Janet, had the grace to contact me in private and ask what happened and my thoughts as to why more people won't ask for help. I guess I can add you to that list now, and will publish my questions/thoughts to her response.
Here is a thread re the $300k and the new website. BOD meeting | Page 3 | Talk of Sun City Our RCSC Website Just Got an Upgrade! Explore the New Features Oh and BTW I just clicked on the Technology Committee for the minutes and the link is broken.
I think our current RCSC web site now falls into the “do nothing to repair” bin created by our GM, just like the tennis courts at LV and the pickle ball courts at MV; while awaiting the next remodel cycle to be executed. Who needs a functioning web site now anyway, when next year maybe we get the greatest.
You are absolutely right and the website is but a smalll portion that is under contruction. Security is another component that, according to recent management reports, has been implemented at Oakmont and may be started at Fairway and you're correct, it's going to be incredibly expensive. It's also a seperate budget line-item from the web development. I am as frustrated as other members about all of the technology issues and we should expect that 2025 will see major improvements. To say it was unfortunate that any changes, represented as "a new website or website upgrades" was put out to the membership is a gross understatement. Our technology is lightyears behind any normal orgaization the size of RCSC and will take perserverance by the Board to make sure resources are properly allocated.
Thanks for the clarification Linda and SCR's comments were spot on. We've long lamented our inability, just plain lack of interest in improving our technology. It's been a mind-boggling ride pretending because we are old, technology simply didn't matter. While there have been so many other dysfunctional incidents between the board and the GM this year, the folly regarding the board's decision to finally rebuild the web site and the GM trying to "fix" the one we have has been overlooked. Yes, it's prettier, but when features don't work, pretty means nothing. The best, BEST, possible outcome from the new static (?) site will be we will finally be using a platform compatible for all of our needs. The very idea this multi-million dollar corporation (albeit non-profit) has tried to do work-arounds with a platform they purchased to schedule tee times online is laughable. Once again, we see the failed efforts to remain cheap in the end costs us even more money. When the board's oversight obligations are reduced to rubber stamping anything and everything a general manager thinks is important (or not), we end up exactly where we are.
Yes , Josie - for whatever reason, a staff member said/wrote exactly those words, which was not correct. It was an in-house "tweek" - it had nothing to do with any of the contractor services that RCSC is paying for. It was an in-house update that was basically a waste of time because the contractor could not get a "static page" from day to day to do their work. It wasted critical staff time AND contractor time AND it misled the membership into believing that a new website had been designed. That's all I was saying. In my attempt to clarify, I apparently stepped on toes. And yes, you're also right. The links are broken. Go figure. I have no answerrs for the website nightmare we have - I want to see it fixed as soon as possible - just like every other RCSC user.
They liked it better than getting up a 6 am and standing inline at the pro shop to draw chips for their lottery for tee times. That's about it.
Shame on them! Absolutely a crock of you-know-what that this organization does not have a truly functioning website. I would guess that if RCSC reached out to some of the residents of this community who were associated with websites in their past, it could be fixed. It can and should not be left as is until the spring when the new one might be ready. Board members -- please talk to the GM about this!!
I just discovered that the website is trying its best to keep us updated. When I clicked on RCSC Calendar, a calendar does not appear, but a list of activities going forward has been updated. Thank you to whoever is doing that. Long Range Planning Committee is cancelled for tomorrow. Budget, Finance and Audit is scheduled for Wednesday, Dec. 18th at 1 pm in the Board room at Lakeview.
